The Nutcracker is the most highly anticipated holiday show, the quintessence of the winter wonderland. All of us, adults and children alike, are looking forward to the enchanting New Year’s night, when our most cherished dreams come true and miracles become possible. The Nutcracker opens the door into the realm of storybook, brightening reality with fantastical daydreams.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze is confident that this show will ‘have kids falling in love with ballet for the rest of their life’. Having made a career as principal dancer at Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre — where he became known as the world’s best Nutcracker Prince — Tsiskaridze currently heads the Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy. Who else, if not him, would be able to create a genuine Christmas classic that celebrates the magic of imagination?

The show’s set designers, Tatiana Noginova and Pyotr Okunev, promise a spectacle that will radiate kindness, beauty and charm. Their work will become a feast for the audience’s eyes, incorporating modern video tech to add an extra sprinkle of magic to traditional theatre scenery. When watching The Nutcracker, adults will look back on their childhood, remembering what it was to be pure of heart and to believe in miracles, while children will get transported to the fairy-tale world and realise just how much their future depends on having dreams.